Khabib caused controversy with his statement: “MMA Ireland is not even half as good as Dagestan’s.”

Before the fight between his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov and the Irish opponent Paul Hughes, Khabib became the center of controversy again.

“Dagestan vs. Ireland 2” is how the Professional Fighters League (PFL MMA) is promoting the upcoming Bellator title fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes, set to take place on January 26.

After 7 years since the epic battle between Khabib and Conor, the MMA world is witnessing representatives from these two martial arts cultures clash in a world-class title fight. Naturally, Khabib, in his role as a coach, was interviewed to hype up the matchup, and the former UFC champion didn’t disappoint PFL with his remarks.

“Ireland doesn’t have any fighters. Seriously, how many fighters do you know from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor, and that’s it. There are no fighters at all.”

Khabib believes that it’s impossible to compare the MMA scenes of Dagestan and Ireland

“You’ll understand once you come to Dagestan. Did you know that many organizations don’t want to sign Dagestan fighters because they’re afraid anyone from Dagestan can become a champion?”

“Dagestan, honestly, the level of MMA in Dagestan is at this point.” – Khabib raised his arm high, then lowered it to emphasize the difference in levels. “As for Ireland, it’s not even half of Dagestan’s level.”

Indeed, since the epic battle years ago, Khabib’s career and those of his Dagestani compatriots have soared. They have Islam Makhachev, who is steadily becoming a new icon in the UFC, Usman Nurmagomedov holding the Bellator belt, and three names who just claimed titles at the PFL 2024 finals: Timur Khizriev, Shamil Musaev, and Gadzi Rabadanov. Additionally, Umar Nurmagomedov is also on the verge of claiming a title at UFC 311.

When it comes to MMA in Ireland today, the only prominent names are Ian Garry in the UFC—whom Khabib forgot to mention—and Paul Hughes in the PFL.

The strong wrestling foundation in Dagestan enables the region to continue its dominance in MMA

In sports like Boxing, Ireland is already well-known at the Olympics with 19 medals (4 Gold, 5 Silver, 10 Bronze). Meanwhile, Dagestan has produced legendary wrestlers who represented the Soviet Union and later Russia, standing at the pinnacle of the Olympics. This is considered a significant factor influencing Dagestan’s ability to produce talented MMA fighters, as wrestling offers certain advantages when transitioning to mixed martial arts.

As for Ireland, although it doesn’t have many famous wrestlers, the country is a familiar destination for Cage Warriors – one of the most prestigious MMA organizations in Europe. Many champions from this league, including Conor McGregor and Ian Garry, have shown strong progress in the UFC.

Of course, Khabib’s statement could simply be a bit of spice to hype up the upcoming fight for his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov. However, this could very well be the spark that ignites a new form of comparison between the fans of both sides.